1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to oil field and oil well development, and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for fracturing and propping fissures in oil-bearing formations to increase productivity.
2. The Background Art
Oil well development has over one hundred years of extensive engineering and chemical improvements. Various methods for stimulating production of well bores associated with an oil reservoir have been developed. For example, United States Patent Application Publication US 2009/0065253 A1 by Suarez-Rivera et al. and entitled “Method and System for Increasing Production of a Reservoir” is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and provides a description of fracturing technology in order to increase permeability of reservoirs. Moreover, various techniques exist to further improve the fracture channels, such as by acid etching as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,060, issued Mar. 9, 1976 to Martin et al., which is likewise incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In general, different types of processes require various treatments. In general, well production can be improved by fracturing formations. Fracturing is typically done by pumping a formation full of a fluid, containing a large fraction of water, and pressurizing that fluid in order to apply large surface forces to parts of the formation. These large surface forces cause stresses, and by virtue of the massive areas involved, can produce extremely high forces and stresses in the rock formations. Accordingly, the rock formations tend to shatter, increasing porosity an providing space for the production oil to pass through the formation toward the bore hole for extraction. However, as the foregoing references describe, the chemistry is not simple, the energy and time required for incorporation of various materials into mixtures is time, money, energy, and other resource intensive.
It would be an advance in the art if such properties as viscosity, absorption, mixing, propping, and so forth could be improved by an improved composition and method for introduction.